


𝐛𝐚𝐝 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐬.| fred weasley

by GracieLouWhoWrites



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Established Sirius Black/Remus Lupin, F/M, Hogwarts, Original Character(s), Slow Burn, Slytherin, Tension
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-24
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-16 18:53:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 10
Words: 14,475
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28961268
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GracieLouWhoWrites/pseuds/GracieLouWhoWrites
Summary: "smitten's a bad look on meand if I'm talking honestlyit takes everything i got not to text, andi just want a kiss to get me through'cause now all my bed-sheets smell like youTHE WIZARDING WORLD[Prisoner of Azkaban-Deathly Hallows]© GracieLouWhoWrites& Universal Pictures
Relationships: Fred Weasley/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 6





	1. 𝐛𝐚𝐝 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐬.

* * *

"Don't you feel lonely living in your own little world?"

"Don't you feel powerless living in other people's worlds?"

___

**soundtrack.**

**i. Bad Ideas**

Tessa Violet

**ii. Oh No!**

MARINA

**iii. Fool**

Cavetown

**iv. She**

Harry Styles

**v. Feelin**

Tessa Violet

**vi. I Wanna Be Yours**

Arctic Monkeys

**vii. Are You Gonna Be My Girl**

Jet

**viii. Prom Queen**

Catie Turner

**ix. I Was Made For Lovin' You**

KISS

**x. Mr Loverman**

Ricky Montgomery

___

I look at you,

and I just love you,

and it terrifies me.

It terrifies me what

I would do for you.

___

 **warnings.-** this story may include; sexual content, swearing, character death, and gore. do not read if you are uncomfortable with those. chapters that involve these topics will have a trigger warning.

 **copyright.-** all rights reserved © bad ideas series, all original characters belong to me.

 **started.-** July 16th, 2020

 **finished.-** n/a


	2. 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝟏.

* * *

**THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN**

**Elladora Black was a husk of a human being. She made no wrong moves and had a steady schedule. She wasn't going to let anyone get in her way. No friend or foe could deter her. Elladora was alone and that was okay.**

**She thought her fifth year was going to roughly go the same as previous ones, some people spreading nonsensical rumors and loads of school work. Shit hits the fan when her father escapes from Azkaban, leaving her to take the public ridicule. The only thing that seemed not terrible is her godfather, Remus Lupin, getting a job at Hogwarts.**

**None of it was exactly part of her plan, but she certainly didn't expect Fred Weasley to fall for her somewhere along the way. But like many things in life, something was in her path, and then the bad ideas follow.**

**___**

**Cast.**

**India Eisley**

**as**

**_Elladora Black II_ **

**[The Loner]**

**James Phelps and Oliver Phelps**

**as**

**_Fred Weasley and George Weasley_ **

**[The Pranksters]**   
**___**

**Supporting Cast.**

**David Thewlis** as **_Remus Lupin_**

 **Gary Oldman** as **_Sirius Black_**

 **Daniel Radcliffe** as _**Harry Potter**_

 **Emma Watson** as **_Hermione Granger_**

 **Rupert Grint** as **_Ron Weasley_**

 **Sofia Bryant** as _**Angelina Johnson**_

 **Luke Youngblood** as _**Lee Jordan**_

 **Tom Felton** as **_Draco Malfoy_** _ **  
**_

 **Michael Gambon** as **_Albus Dumbledore_**

 **Alan Rickman** as **_Severus Snape_**

**All other Harry Potter actors as respective characters.**

**A/N: In light of recent events i have to put this out there but-** **_Fuck Joanne Kathleen Rowling_.**

**Trans women are women.**

**So, yeah- here's my wizarding world fanfic. i actually had one planned a year or two ago, but i never go around writing past the first chapter and it was really bad lol. I mean, this isn't much better, but i like the concepts of this one a lot more.**


	3. the rumors

* * *

The young man didn't look all that pleased to have retrieved Elladora's copy of The Monster Book of Monsters from the cage where they all resided. He slipped on a pair of thick dragonhide gloves and carefully opened the door a book clambered out before he managed to slam it shut. The employee yelled at the book to stop, quickly Elladora dropped her heavy bag on it, causing the book to stop in its tracks.

The girl hesitantly picked up her bag off the odd book and picked it up off the ground. She gave the employee a weary look as she slammed it on the counter. After he chained it up, he let out a hefty sigh as he slipped off his gloves. "Anything else?"

The dark-haired girl looked at the stack of books in front of her, many of them just being books she's been meaning to read. "No, that's everything." She handed him the correct amount of coins.

As she walked out of the store with an armful of books, something caught her eye. "Have you seen this wizard?" placards that were plastered on almost every wall of Diagon Alley, each having the same face screaming from right to left.

It was Sirius Black, her father.

Elladora searched the moving image of Sirius Black, looking completely disheveled and nowhere near his right mind. He screamed at the photographer but Elladora couldn't help feeling as if it was directed towards her.

She continued to study her father's face until she felt a nudge at her leg. Looking down, she saw a black dog. His shaggy hair was covered in dried mud and soot, looking as though he hadn't been washed in many years. She ran her hand through the dog's fur as she watched it's very skinny body rub against her leg. She found herself locking eyes with the dog's large, gleaming orbs and couldn't help but wonder why they looked so familiar.

Elladora cocked her head to the side as she examined the dog further and was surprised when the dog mimicked her. It was almost like the dog's eyes widened suddenly when they looked past her. She followed his gaze to see Lucius Malfoy and his son, most likely complaining about something unimportant.

When she turned back the dog she whispered, "Better if you run along now,". When she stood up, however, she was caught by surprise as the dog started to tug on her bag, almost begging her to stay.

"Hey-" Elladora yelped out as she tried to get the dog to stop to no avail, he growled a bit as he slowly dragged her away from the Malfoy's. As the dog gave her bag a final tug, she fell to the ground. Her knees hit the ground hard as the wind was slightly knocked out of her.

The dog let out a victorious bark as she picked up the placard that was on the ground in front of her. Elladora stood up and looked from the moving image of her father to the dog. Her stomach turned as she felt the grime on her knees. She looked at the dog for a minute, all she could think that it some sick joke as she threw down the placard.

Elladora quickly turned away from the dog, she let out a sigh of distress as she bumped into a solid object. She looked up to see the sharp smirking face of Fred Weasley.

"Well hello, Miss Black," he cheekily smiled, "Air down there still breathable?"

Elladora turned to where the dog stood behind her, it was gone. The girl turned back to the boy who stood close to her, she fired back quickly, "Very original Fred, where's your shadow?"

"Georgie is waiting in Florean Fortescue's, I came to look for you after you left Flourish & Blotts." Fred explained, "Want to join us before-" He looked around the corner to where Elladora had last seen her uncle and cousin. "- those self-righteous tossers come and getcha?"

Elladora cocked out her hip as she realized they probably weren't behind the black dog and placard thing, but she couldn't eliminate them. She looked back up to Fred as she ran through her options, spend some time with some witty acquaintances, or go home and be stuck in a house full of people she had no interest in talking to. "Sure."

Fred shared that he and his family went to go visit one of his many brothers in Egypt while they walked to the ice cream parlor, Elladora made sure that she stayed out of the eyesight of one of her caretakers and his dreadful child.

Fred insisted on paying for Elladora's ice cream, she argued against it, putting out the fact that she had plenty of money leftover, he ignored her as he handed Florean two knuts in exchange for her chocolate and mint ice-cream. She couldn't help but feel a little bit odd, as the boy she's barely talked to for the past five years was now buying her ice-cream. She didn't think of it before, but the whole thing sort of felt like a date. Or a sick joke.

She searched the twins to see if they were trying to hide anything, they had both already started on their frozen treat. Elladora let out a small sigh as she scooped up a spoonful of her dessert and put the spoon in her mouth, trying to ignore her regret.

After a couple of minutes of silence, Fred began to describe all the mischievous and funny activities he and his twin had gotten up to over the summer. Elladora wasn't quite sure how, but Fred had managed to take her mind off the shaggy dog. She relaxed further into her seat as Fred recounted their thought process and George recounted how their family reacted.

Elladora didn't say much but Fred knew she was listening to him. She nodded along to everything he said, interjecting every few minutes to question the legitimacy of their pranks. Despite being witness to many of their pranks, she still had her doubts about some of the things Fred and George managed to pull. At every question she asked, Fred felt a small smirk creep upon him.

The front door of the ice cream parlor opened behind Elladora, but she stayed focused on the two boys as they explained to her their plans for a rainbow toffee that can make someone's tongue up to four feet long. 

She was pulled out of the conversation when a girl sat down next to Elladora. Elladora stared a bit at the girl, absolutely enamored with her attractiveness, her bright red sweater complimented her dark skin. As the girl smile smiled at the twins, her eyes sparkled in the sunlight. 

The taller girl's smile dropped a bit when she saw Elladora. She recognized the girl almost immediately, it helped that everyone had a vague idea of her through rumors. She spoke with a cold tone, it was clear she didn't want Elladora there "Hello,"

Fred spoke out before Elladora could, "Elladora Black this is Angelina Johnson, Angelina Johnson this is Elladora Black."

Elladora felt extremely out of place. She shot Fred and George a slightly put-off look. Were they her friends? Probably not. They only had brief interactions before this year, they were really just intellectually stimulating acquaintances trying to be nice. They probably thought of her as some sort of pity case. She looked back at Angelina, Elladora didn't need one more person to think she was some sort of lost puppy.

"Delighted to make your acquaintance," Elladora simply nodded as she spoke softly. Fred gave her a slightly desperate look as she stood up, she took her bag and slummed it over her shoulder, "I should go."

"Will we see you on the train tomorrow?" Fred asked before the girl had the chance to walk away.

"Depends on if you can find me." Elladora snapped back as she walked out the front door.


	4. unwanted guests

* * *

Elladora looked out the compartment window to see all the families saying goodbye. In a different world, she would have a mother to kiss her goodbye and a father to rustle her hair messily before she hopped on the train. But instead, she got an awkward pat on the shoulder from her uncle and an overwhelming embrace with her aunt.

The young girl was snapped out of her thoughts when the compartment door slammed open and a pair of all too familiar redhead twins enter.

"What are you doing?" Elladora snapped at the Weasley boys in a rather hostile tone. It was obvious she wasn't quite in the mood to deal with anyone.

"What's it look like we're doing?" George grinned as he threw their luggage next to hers and plopped down across from her. Fred followed suit as he slumped down next to her, his hand rested in the space in between them.

Before Elladora could tell them to fuck off, the compartment door slammed open once again as another fifth-year entered. Lee Jordan flicked his dreadlock out of his face as he threw himself beside George, speaking at the speed of light.

After a few seconds, he seemed to realize Fred and George weren't the only ones in the compartment as his eyes landed on Elladora, her lips were set in a thin line as her eyes narrowed at him. It didn't take Lee long to figure out who she was, everyone had a vague idea who _she_ was.

"Hey, I'm Lee," He introduced himself with a grin.

Elladora didn't move a muscle as her eyes darted away from the boy and down to the book that rested in her lap.

"Don't take it personally," George told Lee as he nudged his friend.

Much to Elladora's dismay, the compartment door open once again to reveal two Gryffindor girls with grins plastered onto their faces. They greeted the boys before pausing slightly at the sight of Elladora beside Fred. Katie Bell tried to shoot the girl a smile after a few moments of hesitation before sitting next to Lee while Angelina simply ignored the girl.

Elladora glowered at all the people in her compartment, wondering how not a single one of them realized that she wanted to be left alone. She then remembered what she told the twins yesterday, 'Depends on if you can find me.' she shrunk in her seat as her words echoed through her head, regretting her cocky comment. The last thing she wanted at the moment was to be around people she wasn't even friends with while she tried to read her book.

A little voice spoke up, _'You don't have any friends.'_

 _'Fuck off.'_ she replied in her head.

For those few moments when she couldn't quite focus on what seemed to be paragraphs of unrequited lovers arguing, she found herself staring out the window, watching the trees and landscape flash by. The raindrops on the window encapsulated her attention as she was in deep thought, wondering how the dog from Diagon Alley was doing. Fred tried talking to her several times, trying to include her in the conversation, but each time she just pretended not to hear him.

Elladora finally pulled herself from the window when the Hogwarts Express slowly came to a stop. It was much too early for them to have reached Hogwarts and judging by the rest of the student's faces, they all knew the same.

"What's going on?" Lee asked, "Surely, we can't be there yet."

George stood up and walked over to the door before sliding it open and popped his head out. After seeing nothing to explain the weird occurrence, he closed the door and sat back down.

"There were other people poking their heads out too, no one knows what's going on," He informed the group.

"Looks like there's something moving outside," Katie piped up, causing the other teens to look out the window.

Elladora stared outside only able to see some sort of black shadow before the train got a nose-biting chill filled the air. She let out a small breath, narrowing her eyes when she saw the misty cloud released from her mouth. The window beside her began freezing over with ice as she leaned sideways into Fred, muttering a quick apology as she pulled away from the redhead.

From the corner of her eye, Elladora noticed a small movement. In the hall, a cloaked, shadow-like figure drifted down the hall. As it neared, the temperature dropped and everyone stayed petrified in their seats. Elladora really started to regret wearing a skirt.

Elladora titled her head as she gazed at the people sitting in her compartment. She realized everyone shared the same hopeless look plastered on their faces as she racked her brain for anything that could cause such a thing.

Soft whispers of pain rang through Elladora's head as another hooded figure stopped before their compartment. It clicked in Elladora's head, remembering the off-handed remark Lucius would make after a hard day at the Ministry.

"It's dementors," Elladora whispered to the group.

"What are dementors doing on the train?!" Lee whispered as he blew into his hands.

"Probably looking for someone's father," Angelina murmured with a sense of disgust in her voice.

Elladora didn't have time to deal with the Gryffindor's off-handed remark, the whispers that echoed through her skull now turned into almost screaming pleas. She felt her cold fingers start to dig into her knee as the whispers became screams.

Before they knew it the train lights came back on and the train started up again with a jolt, almost as if nothing had happened. The window slowly unfroze as Elladora let out a shaky breath as the whispers subdued in her head and the frigid air turned warm again.

Her relief vanished as she faced the rest of her compartment. Angelina and Katie still had a look of terror engraved on their faces, the former had herself latched onto Fred's arm. Lee had a look as if he was going to explode with questions, while the two twins had a shared look of interest with slight fear plastered on their faces.

Before she could say anything witty about their lack of courage, the compartment door slid open, relieving an older-looking man in shaggy robes; Remus Lupin.

"Are you okay?" He seemingly only asked the witch in the corner.

Elladora felt a small smile creep upon her face as she stood up and made her way towards the man, pulling him into a tight hug. "Yeah, I'm fine. Are you?" She asked as she pulled away.

Lupin nodded at the girl, "I'm okay."

"Why were they on the train?" Fred asked as he shifted a bit in his seat, Angelina now off his arm.

Lupin turned and looked at him, "They're on the lookout for Sirius Black," he informed them, squeezing the girl's shoulder in comfort as he unknowingly reinforced Angelina's previous accusation.

Her breath hitched in her throat as the other compartment members studied her. Then something was placed in her hand, she looked down to see half a chocolate bar that Remus handed her.

She gave him a weak smile as he kissed the top of her head, "Eat up, don't forget to share. I've got to go speak to the driver, are you sure you're okay?"

"Better than you," she nipped back. She knew that wasn't a lot better, but it was still _better_.

He gave her an uncertain look before nodding his head and left the compartment.

Elladora, now in a better mood, sat back down in her seat before she unwrapped the chocolate. Offering some to everyone in the compartment, not wanting to exclude anyone. The two girls politely declined her offer, still feeling uneasiness with the girl.

"Why am I the only one weirded out by the fact that the new professor kissed your forehead?!" Lee exclaimed as Fred devoured a piece of chocolate as if it was the best chocolate he ever had.

"He's my godfather," Elladora explained with a mischievous glint in her eyes before opening her book back up.


	5. bright and early

* * *

Elladora sat at the long table with her chin in the palm of her hand. She watched sleepily as the choir concluded their song, most of the students clapped when they finished. She always thought the choir did a wonderful job with what they were given. Dumbledore stepped up to make the famous speech that he made at the beginning of each year.

"Welcome!" He smiled at his students, "Welcome to another year at Hogwarts. I have a few things to say to you all, and as one of them is very serious, I think it's best to get it out of the way before you become befuddled by our excellent feast,"

"As you will all be aware after their search of the Hogwarts Express, our school is presently playing host to some of the Dementors of Azkaban at the request of the Ministry of Magic, until such time as Sirius Black is captured."

Elladora's chest tightened as she listened intently to the headmaster.

"They will be stationed at every entrance to the grounds. Now whilst I've been assured that their presence will not disrupt our day-to-day activities a word of caution. Dementors are vicious creatures. They'll not distinguish between the one they hunt and the one who gets in their way. Therefore, I must warn each and every one of you to give them no reason to harm you. It is not in the nature of a dementor to be forgiving. I look to the prefects, and our new Head Boy and Girl, to make sure that no student runs afoul of the Dementors."

"On a happier note," he continued, "I'm pleased to welcome Professor R.J. Lupin who's kindly consented to fill the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Good luck, Professor."

At first, the applause was scattered. But for the first time in her entire school career, Elladora burst into applause, causing some of the surrounding Gryffindors and Slytherins to realize what was going on.

"As to our second new appointment," said the old man, once the applause died down." Well, I am sorry to tell you that Professor Kettleburn, our Care of Magical Creatures teacher has decided to retire in order to spend more time with his remaining limbs."

"Thank Merlin," Elladora murmured to herself, Care of Magical Creatures was by far the girl's least favorite class and it didn't help that their old professor was just so dull. He was almost as dull as Professor Binns who was the professor teaching Elladora's favorite class, teaching History of Magic.

"Fortunately, I'm delighted to announce that his place will be taken by none other than our own Rubeus Hagrid."

The Gryffindor table was definitely the loudest to applaud him, making the half-giant blush a ruby red color as he looked down at his large hands. Now the _alive_ book made much more sense.

"Well, I think that's everything of importance," said Dumbledore. "Let the feast begin!"

**___**

Elladora was more than glad to be the first one to wake up in her dormitory, her roommates were still all still asleep even after the dark-haired girl finished her shower.

After brushing through her wet hair, assuring she at least looked presentable, she let her hair fall down her back freely as she put her school uniform on and grabbed a muggle book, some plain parchment, and her textbooks and placed them into her bag as she left the other sleeping girls and made her way to the main hall.

Her walk was casual and quiet, the sun now up in the sky, and a few students walking around the grounds. She strolled casually through the halls until she reached the Great Hall, her eyes scanned the room before she spotted a particularly empty part of the Slytherin table. She walked over to the empty area, only a few first years nearby.

As Elladora read through a section about the Goblin Rebellions of 1612, she took a sip of her coffee until she felt a looming presence. As she pulled the mug away from her lips she let out a sigh and announced, "If you touch a single hair on my head, Weasley, I will give you more than a reason to be afraid of me."

"Relax," Fred sighed as he slid up next to the Slytherin girl, earning some odd looks from other students, "I was just coming over to check your timetable."

Elladora smelt his breath as he spoke, it smelt of overpowering fire whiskey and mint toothpaste. She made a disgusted face as she muttered to the boy beside her, "Are you drunk?" as he leaned against the table with an exhausted expression.

Fred responded with a simple "Hungover, I think actually." as he reached for her timetable that rested on top of her bound Monster Book of Monsters, his hand trembled as held the parchment. She sighed as he read the piece of paper, she grabbed a piece of toast and started to apply jam to it.

From the Gryffindor table, there was some hollering at Fred, Angelina had an empty spot next to her, waiting for him. Lee was standing up and yelled at him to get his ass back over to their table, he was also hungover and was significantly worse at hiding it.

Elladora felt her stomach turn as Fred waved his friends off. _Why was he doing this?_

"Look, we've got History of Magic again first and then Defence Against the Dark Arts later on Mondays," Fred said as he pointed to the piece of parchment and leaned closer to the girl to show her.

"Let's hope Professor Binns has finally some interesting lessons," Elladora said as she took a bite of her toast.

"Doubt it," Fred said. "Hey, look you have Herbology with Diggory."

"Oh, he's always nice to have in class."

"You mean he's always nice to look at in class?" Fred said with a smirk on his face.

Elladora gave a tired sigh as she looked back to her book, she spun one of the many silver rings on her fingers as she read more about the Goblin Rebellions. She read for a few more minutes of sweet silence until she heard Fred make a playful noise and tapped the edge of her book. She gave the boy a stern look before she closed her book.

"You know you don't have to read that," Fred said as traced his finger along the curve of the cover, his finger slightly trembled as he finished the last curve.

"You know you don't have to be over here?" Elladora snapped back, her voice was filled with poison.

Fred mimicked her, making his voice higher as he made a funny face " _You know you don't have to be over here?_ "

Elladora rolled her eyes and took a sip from her mug. Fred's eyes lingered on her for a moment before speaking "I'm over here because you-" He wiggled his finger as he pointed at her "-aren't loud in the morning."

Elladora watched him, her eyes were narrow. His hair was unkempt as if he had just woken up, she could only imagine the night he had. "You should eat," Elladora ordered the redhead as she pushed her plate of toast closer to him, only for him to protest immediately.

"Ella, come on, I don't need-" Fred groaned but stopped when Elladora gave him a serious look.

Fred released a huff but didn't complain as he grabbed a piece of toast and took a massive bite. After he finished the rest of her toast, he lifted Elladora's cup to his lips and began chugging the black coffee. Her eyes widened and her mouth slightly opened as he pulled the mug away and muttered something bitterly that Elladora couldn't make out.

He gave her a messy grin after a moment, he watched with slight amusement at her expression.


	6. sirius black

* * *

A week later, Elladora found herself in the Great Hall. She had spent the past week reading novels and doing above and beyond on her classwork, as per usual.

As she took a long sip from her black coffee, she overheard Draco exaggerating his injury from last week. Once again he was overreacting over something small, she silently dreaded when summer break came along again. He has always been a bit dramatic.

"He's been sighted! He's been sighted!" came a shout from the entrance of the Great Hall, as a young Gryffindor boy ran in holding the newest print of the Daily Prophet.

"Who?" Elladora heard Lee ask, not daring to turn around to see what they were talking about. The dark-haired girl took another long sip of her coffee.

"Sirius Black!"

As soon as those words left his mouth, Elladora's blood ran cold as she felt many eyes look straight at her. She felt her shoulders tense as she sat alone at the Slytherin table. She felt stares come from every direction, each with different intentions. Fred noticed her stiffness as she sat there, frozen in her spot as if she was a child being scolded.

"Dufftown? That's not far from here." Hermione Granger said, now standing up.

Angelina grabbed onto Fred's arm, almost like a statement. Fred seemed to tense up when she squeezed tight to his arm, he wasn't sure if what she was doing was okay.

"Y-you don't think he'd come to Hogwarts... Do you?" Neville asked nervously as he looked around at his housemates.

"With Dementors at every entrance?"

"Dementors?" Seamus asked, "He slipped past them once, who's to say that he won't do it again. Especially with help from the inside-"

Elladora figured it was time to go as she slowly picked up her bag and slung it over her shoulder, and made her way out of the Great Hall. She caught some gazes from other Slytherins, earning slightly disapproving looks from them, she stormed past the group with many eyes still on her.

She didn't mind the reputation the news gave her, it was that she didn't want to be caught smiling after the news of a supposed murder being nearby.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Fred spoke up, not realizing Elladora had already fled. He stood up from his seat, now out of Angelina's grasp. His sudden defense of the Slytherin girl caused the Irish boy to go pale.

"Well- I mean Elladora is his daughter," he pointed out.

"She's also related to Bellatrix Lestrange but you don't see her helping her out, now do you?" George asked, now standing next to his twin. His quick defense of the strange girl shocked even himself, but he trusted his brother's judgment.

Seamus bit his lip, now regretting his mention of Elladora now that he was being bombarded by two upperclassmen.

Fred stepped closer to the thirteen-year-old boy, "Anything else you want to say?"

"N-no."

Fred nodded and then looked up to everyone else who was watching him now, "Anyone else want to say something?"

No one spoke out.

"I didn't think so. Now if I hear even a murmur about Elladora, I will make sure you regret it," He threatened, before sitting down next to Angelina once again. 

Everyone seemed shocked, they'd only ever heard Fred speaking with joy in his tone, usually a spark in his eyes as he laughed but this time there was no laughter, no sharp smirk, not even a gleam of mischief in his eyes. His eyes were filled with seriousness. 

Something struck a chord with Fred, maybe he cared more for Elladora than he originally wanted.

**___**

Fred walked into Professor Lupin's classroom, expecting the dark-haired girl to be there as that was their next lesson, yet he was confused when he saw that all the desks were pushed to one side of the classroom. Only one thing was in the center of the room, in between him and the Professor was a cupboard that was shaking violently every so often.

He walked past the cupboard to see Professor Lupin sitting at his desk alone in the classroom.

"Ah, Fred, you're early," Professor Lupin commented as he glanced up from his book.

"Erm, yeah," Fred mumbled, "I thought Elladora was already here."

This caught Lupin's attention because, at this current moment in time, Elladora was in his office taking a moment to decompress after the news before class started, the older man placed his book down before giving the red-haired boy his full attention, "What made you think that?"

Fred scratched the back of his neck, "Well, we've got this together and she left the Great Hall about ten minutes ago."

"What made her leave?" Lupin said, already knowing the answer to his question.

Fred sighed before he explained to Lupin what went down in the Great Hall.

Elladora was sitting down on the cold stone floor of her godfather's office, her back leaning against the frame of his desk as she took off her Slytherin tie. She took a moment to catch her breath, she pulled her knees up to her chest as she processed the news she was told. Her father was so close, closer than ever before.

She barely could even picture his face when she tried to, something about her desperate attempts to even picture him made her feel empty. She tried to remember back to his placard, but even that didn't look like him. Something was missing.

She sat alone in the office for about ten minutes, her gaze wandering the many knickknacks and creatures on the shelves in the office. Elladora stood back up and pulled herself together, she was about to exit when she heard an all too familiar voice. Elladora let out a forced sigh as she opened the heavy door.

She looked out to see Fred and her godfather talking, a few students still by the entrance of the room. Elladora tried to ignore Fred's gaze as she walked over to the rest of the students, a few minutes later Fred joined her in the huddle of Slytherin and Gryffindor fifth years.

"Good afternoon," Lupin greeted. "Today will be a practical lesson. You will need only your wands."

Elladora had left her bag in his office so she awkwardly stood alone as everyone dropped their bags in the back of the classroom. Everyone quickly regrouped, but once again Elladora stood alone. But this time she had curiosity glinting in her eyes as the cupboard shook violently, she seemed to be the only one that didn't jump at the sudden noise.

"Right then, look this way, please if you will," Lupin said to other students, who were whispering.

The classroom fell silent and everyone started to look at the wardrobe.

"Intriguing, isn't it?" Would anyone like to venture a guess as to what is inside?"

"That's a Boggart, right?" Angelina said, standing to the right of Fred.

"Very good, Miss Johnson. Ten points to Gryffindor"

The wardrobe jolted with a loud thud, everyone around Elladora jumped just the smallest bit.

"Now, can anybody tell me what a boggart looks like?" He asked as his eyes scanned the classroom, noting his goddaughter standing a bit off from the group.

"No one knows," Elladora said before she could stop herself, her eyes lingering on the cupboard with a sort of hunger. "Because of their shape-shifting ability, no one knows what a Boggart looks like when it is alone, as it changes instantly upon encountering someone. They take the shape of whatever a particular person fears the most."

"Well said, Miss Black, ten points to Slytherin." Lupin walked towards the wardrobe with a small smile on his face. "Luckily, a very simple charm exists to repel a boggart. We'll practice the charm without wands first... so repeat after me... _Riddikulus_."

The class of fifth years did as it was told, the silence became filled with the students saying the spell, one student repeating it several times over under their breath once everyone had stopped.

"Good, very good," said Professor Lupin, "But I'm afraid that was the easy part. Could I have a volunteer, please?"

A few hands quickly shot up, while Elladora looked down at her feet making it clear she didn't want to be picked first.

"Adrian Pucey, come on up here," Lupin said as Adrian beamed at himself as his friends pushed him to the front of the group, he made his way to stand in front of the shaking wardrobe. "Right, Adrian. What would you say frightens you most of all?"

Adrian thought for a second before saying, "Werewolves, probably sir."

Elladora felt a pit in her stomach drop, her eyes snapped up to her godfather. She watched as his eyes glazed over for the briefest of moments before he cleared his throat and looked to the boy with a green tie in front of him, "Right, so now think of something amusing to do with your fear," he instructed before he made his way closer to the wardrobe door, "Are you ready?"

Adrian nodded his head, his head gripping his wand in his right hand. Professor Lupin turned the knob of the wardrobe before letting the door open by itself whilst he quickly moved away to not confuse the Boggart.

A black shadow came out of the wardrobe before it started to merge into something and before anyone could blink there stood a massive werewolf snarling at the Slytherin students in front of it. Elladora saw her housemate swallow hard, his adam's apple bobbed up and down and his hand shook slightly before he let out a deep breath and said " _Riddikulus_."

The whole class laughed as the ferocious werewolf was now replaced with a small puppy who was chasing its tail, even Elladora and Professor Lupin cracked a smile. Adrian sighed in relief as he brushed a hand through his hair.

"Well done Adrian," Professor Lupin beamed at the boy before he turned to the rest of the class, "Now everyone gets into a line so you can all have a go," he instructed as he turned on a record player.

The students quickly pushed each other as they formed a wonky line. Elladora was standing in front of Fred, his general demeanor seemed a bit scared to get to close to her. Elladora leaned to see the front of the line, almost as if she was impatient to prove herself. The students watched as a Gryffindor girl changed a common boggart of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named turned into a baby sucking on a pacifier.

Elladora gripped her wand in her left hand as she saw the line quickly reducing and before she knew it, it was her turn. She slowly stepped up closer to the changing Boggart and she wondered to herself, _What was she scared of?_

The Boggart took a bit longer to change, also struggling to find what the dark-haired girl was scared of.

Her eyes widened as she saw the Boggart change, it was her father, he was standing in front of her screaming at her, his wrist and ankles were chained to the ground. But something was wrong, he didn't look the way she remembered him, his appearance was more in tune with his placard.

She couldn't breathe as his voice got louder, he screamed at her about how she had failed him and how he would rot in Azkaban because of her. She stumbled back a little bit. 

Her pale eyes glazed over as she struggled to focus. Elladora couldn't help but think about what her classmates were thinking, what this would do to her reputation. She was pulled out of her small selfish thought by the screaming of her father.

As Remus struggled to stop himself from intervening as Elladora stood there motionless, the false shell of his old friend screaming at her. Lupin and the rest of the class watched quietly at the worried expression, Elladora shakily lifted her wand as many of the students grew slightly sympathetic to her current situation. Her voice was soft as she muttered the charm. It wasn't strong enough, she took an unsteady breath before she straightened her back and firmly grasped her wand before saying it louder. The Boggart changed; Sirius Black now doing ballet in a pair of sparkly rollerskates.

The students behind Elladora let out varying amounts of nervous laughs at the sudden change, both Fred and Professor Lupin gave out a relieved sigh as Elladora quickly walked to the back of the room. 


	7. the caged bird

* * *

It wasn't until the first Hogsmeade visit rolled around that Elladora felt like she had a proper time alone, without Fred following her around like an overprotective puppy. After she found out what happened in the Great Hall, she had been giving him a hard time for defending her with no cause or valid reason. Of course, Fred could never muster the courage to tell her why he did what he did but it didn't help that there was conflicting interest. 

Her pace was quick as she made her way to the owlery, she was sure to skip the unusually steep step towards the top. Elladora cursed herself for not putting on her thicker pair stockings as the chilly October air nipped at her exposed skin. As Elladora made her way inside the owlery, she pulled out a piece of parchment that she had written on an hour before sending to Narcissa.

Elladora smiled at the letter, she folded the parchment up and placed it into an envelope she had in her bag before she walked over to the Draco's owl, "Sorry Merlin, I guess it's back home for you again," She carefully tied to letter to the eagle owl leg as she watched as he flew away, getting smaller and smaller until he finally disappeared from Elladora's sight.

She was a little bitter that she was stuck using Draco's owl, but she couldn't be too upset being that she picked an older owl than usual for her first year at Hogwarts. Elladora just thought it would last her a bit longer than five years, the poor thing was running a bit slower last year.

She closed her bag as she came out of the owlery. Elladora strolled casually on the dirt path, her eyes scanning the surrounding area. People had started to keep their distance after the Boggart incident. Nice and quiet, just how she liked it. Elladora hugged her midsection as a chilly breeze hit her, her resting face crept on her face as she was lost in her thoughts.

"Cold?" Fred asked abruptly as he walked up behind her with his hands in his pockets, taking note of her slightly pink skin.

"Bloody Hell!" Elladora said in shock, slightly jumping at the sound of his voice. She took a second to catch her breath before speaking again, " You're back early,"

"And you didn't go at all." Fred nipped back as he started walking with her, letting her lead the way.

"I prefer the castle with fewer people in it," Elladora said as she adjusted her bag that rested on her shoulder.

"Hey," Fred said keeping pace with Elladora, "You shouldn't be out without at least a sweater on"

"I know, believe it or not, but I was going to wear one but the other girls in my dorm room think it's the funniest thing to take my sweaters and hide them," Elladora said quietly, her face deepening in a shade of pink. She couldn't tell if it was the chilly air or sudden attention. "But I couldn't miss sending the letter, sharing an owl with Draco is seemingly impossible when he hogs the poor bird"

"Royal git," Fred said as he sent a glance back to the owlery, "Why don't you just buy a new one, I mean you probably have more than enough money." 

Elladora gave a small smirk, "Yeah, we definitely have more than enough money it's just Lucius thinks it's better for me to learn a lesson of 'picking the right one'."

"Ah, I see," Fred said with a slightly grim look on his face as the two walked together, even though Elladora wouldn't care to admit it, the two enjoyed walking together in silence. Another gust of chilly air sent Elladora's skirt waving in the wind, it felt like Fred hyper fixated on her pale skin as he was goosebumps cover her arms. Fred slowed his pace for a minute and then said confidently, "You should wear my jumper."

"What?" Elladora asked as she stopped in her tracks.

"You should wear my jumper. You're very underdressed considering the time of year and this jumper is a couple of years too small for me anyway."

Elladora narrowed her eyes at the sweater. He was right, it was a bit tight on him, his long sleeve shirt beneath it peaking out by his wrist and hips. She looked from the scarlet jumper with his first initial on it to Fred's face, she felt her face heat up.

"I don't see why not," Elladora said before Fred, a bit too eagerly, pulled his jumper over his head and handed it to her. She definitely saw why not but non the less the short girl handed her bag to Fred and pulled the rather warm sweater over her head, once she put it on she realized how small it really was considering it fit her almost perfectly. 

"See, it even looks better on you than on me. It was meant to be." Fred said with his classic smirk plastered on his face.

"Oh shove it, Weasley," Elladora muttered darkly, hoping the bright scarlet jumper was drawing Fred's gaze away from her now red face. She took her bag back from Fred and they continued to walk together, now a lot warmer.

Fred soon grew a bit impatient as the two walked through one of the many hallways in the castle, he spoke up "Your godfather is such a good professor, his lessons are the only one's I properly enjoy."

Elladora gave a small smile as she gripped onto the strap of her bag, "Better tell him that then,"

Another beat of silence as the two fifteen-year-olds walked together.

"Do you want to join me in going to the Libary? I'm going to check out a few books for some light reading." Elladora said, looking up to the ginger boy.

Before Fred could respond, the one and only Harry Potter was walking up the unlikely pair. He looked as if he was going to explode, it was obvious he had some pent up anger.

"Why does your father want to kill me?" Harry asked bitterly, both Elladora and Fred shocked at his sudden outburst as he stopped in front of the two.

Elladora raised an eyebrow, "Beg your pardon?"

"You heard me," He spat as he quickly looked from Fred to Elladora, disapproving of Fred's choice in friends, "Why does your father want to kill me?"

"He doesn't," Elladora said bluntly as she took a step closer to him, now standing a bit in front of Fred.

"Oh yeah?" And you know this how?" He asked, his voice getting louder.

Before Fred could aid her, she spoke up for herself, "Because he's not a murder, plain and simple. And if he did want to murder someone, it definitely wouldn't be his best friend's son." She paused, belittling his claim seemed like the best option, "Maybe you shouldn't listen to every tiny rumor you hear, Potter."

"He escaped from Azkaban! Of course, he's a murder! And maybe you're helping him,"

Elladora almost laughed at his claim, she wished she was helping her father. "Next time you try and confront me about something, make sure it's true. I don't have the time to waste dealing with the likes of an impulsive child," She spat back.

Harry was taken aback, he didn't have a good argument. He didn't think out what he would say this far into the conversation. Instead, he looked to the sweater Elladora was wearing then to Fred. "Didn't take you for fraternizing with blood supremacists," Harry said bitterly before walking away, leaving Elladora and Fred alone.

When Harry was out of earshot, Elladora walked over to the painting nearby. She muttered several curse words under her breath as she watched the small black bird peck around in the golden cage with a vacant expression.

Lucius had always stressed the hatred of two types of people; muggle-borns and blood traitors. Elladora understood why. Lucius held the belief that wizards and witches whose family has not married any muggles or Muggle-borns were inherently biologically superior to wizards and witches who had done so. He regarded muggle-born wizards as impure, unworthy of possessing magical ability, and often actively discriminated against them.

Elladora always thought his way of thinking was very childish, "My uncle and I, have very _different_ ideas about what disgraces the name of a wizard."

Fred looked over at her, she looked like she had something to say but she couldn't find the right words. She had her eyes trained on the bird as it struggled to fly around in the cage, she couldn't help but feel sympathetic for the poor thing. She knew the feeling of being trapped.

Elladora felt her cheeks get warm, but it wasn't because she was cold or was because she was angry, it was because Fred had grabbed her hand. She stood there frozen in her spot, she never had someone hold her hand. He didn't interlace his fingers with hers but instead, he awkwardly grasped her hand.

"I figured that out when you accepted my invitation to ice cream during the summer," Fred said as he now looked to the blackbird, the bird looked so small and alone.

Elladora was still frozen where she stood, her poor social skills shining through her confidant persona. She took a shaky breath before letting the muscles in her arm relax. Her eyes followed as the bird struggled to fly in the cage, the pity she felt before was gone.

Fred finally looked away from the painting, "You said something about going to the library?"

"Yeah," she rasped back, her voice soft and fragile, her eyes still on the painting. She slowly pulled her hand away from his.

**___**

Elladora sighed in content at the warmth of the school and they walked into the massive room that contained the moving staircases. She looked up, following the unusual amount of noise, she started up one of the staircases. Fred followed her, slightly confused about why they were going up instead of to the library. They continued to walk up the moving stairs and that was when Elladora's faint smile fell.

"What the hell is going on?" she mumbled causing Fred to look up at what she was seeing; all the Gryffindor students mixed with some Ravenclaw students, all the professors, and Dumbledore were all crowded around the Fat Lady portrait.

"I have no clue," Fred breathed out as he grasped Elladora's wrist gently and helped her maneuver through the large crowd, they finally stopped when they reached George and Lee who both looked around anxiously until they spotted the pair coming towards them.

"What's going on?" Fred asked, Elladora behind him.

"No idea," Lee told them, "The Fat Lady is gone though. They're looking for her."

Elladora found her way in between the three boys, she stared at the Fat Lady's portrait. It was slashed by what appeared to be claw marks, Elladora couldn't think of anything that could possibly cause that sort of damage. The sound of a baby crying filled the young girl's ears as she searched the painting.

"There's no need for ghosts, Professor," Filch said, raising a shaking finger. "The Fat Lady's there."

Dumbledore rushed over to where the shout came from, everyone else pushed through as they raced after the headmaster.

Elladora stood in front of Fred, to get a good view of what exactly happened to the Fat Lady. She was in a sort of field, hiding behind a big grey animal as others of the sort were eating the grass behind her.

"My dear lady... who did this to you?" Dumbledore asked, his voice gentle as he looked at the Fat Lady through his half-moon glasses.

"Eyes like the devil, he's got, and a soul as dark as his name." The poor woman was clearly shaken up and looked on the verge of tears. "It's him, headmaster! The one they all talk about. He's here, somewhere in the castle! Sirius Black!" She screamed just at the sound of his name rolling off her tongue and ducked down below the hippo.

The name caused the student's blood to run cold as they whispered amongst themselves.

Elladora felt her chest tightened, making her unable to breathe whilst people around her turned to face her as soon as her father's name was mentioned. She didn't mind the glares and the nervous looks, it was her father she cared about.

"Professor McGonagall, could you please escort the students to the Great Hall," Dumbledore instructed, Professor McGonagall nodded her head, her eyes filled with worry as she started to move the students out of the way, leading them away from the scene. "Mr. Filch, could you get all the paintings and ghosts to search the castle, if he really was here he can't be far."

Filch eagerly nodded his head as his eyes pierced right through Elladora, almost as if he was silently blaming her for what happened.

The dark-haired witch was stiff in her spot as her brain was a muddled mess as she racked her thoughts for how her father couldn't get in, how he could've gotten out, how he got past dementors, and more. She stumbled a bit as the group started to walk away from the portraits, Fred steered her away from the ripped painting and towards the Great Hall where the rest of the school was heading.


	8. stars and butterflies

* * *

The Great Hall ceiling was bewitched to look like the night sky, not helping Elladora's inability to sleep as she laid in her sleeping bag. She couldn't sleep even if she tried, her mind was far too loud for her liking. She couldn't stop thinking about her father.

She laid on her back and watched the stars, listing them off in her head as she listened to the snores and the professors talking around her.

"Headmaster? The whole of the third floor has been searched. He's not there. And Filch has searched the dungeons, headmaster, no sign of Black, nor anywhere else in the castle," Elladora heard Snape say.

"I didn't really expect Black to linger." He said nonchalantly.

"Have you any theory as to how he got in, Professor?" Asked Snape, his voice making Elladora cringe slightly.

"Many, Severus, each of them as unlikely as the next," Dumbledore said as the two men walked closer to where Elladora laid.

"You remember the conversation we had, Headmaster, just before the start of term?" said Snape.

"I do, Severus," the older man responded as Elladora closed her eyes, pretending to be asleep.

"It seems- almost impossible- that Black could have entered the school without inside help. I did express my concerns with your appointment with Professor-"

Elladora felt her stomach tighten, she didn't know the reason why he had to act so maliciously towards everyone who wasn't the Headmaster.

"I do not believe a single person inside this castle would have helped Black enter," Dumbledore said as he stopped just a few feet away from Elladora. "I'm quite convinced the castle is safe. I'm more willing to send the students back to their houses."

"What about Potter? And Miss Black?" Snape inquired, stepping closer. "Should they be warned?"

"Perhaps, but for now, let them sleep." He paused for a moment, Elladora felt the old man's eyes burn through her. "For in dreams, we enter a world that's entirely our own. Let them swim in the deepest ocean or glide over the highest cloud."

There was a long pause before their receding footsteps sounded. Elladora fluttered her eyes open and slowly turned her head to her left. Fred had a faint smile on his face while he slept, his quiet snores made something in her stomach turn. Her face got hot as she remembered how just hours ago Fred and George had insisted that she sleep in between the two, rather than alone. The formers grasp on her hand even before that.

She curled up in her sleeping bag, she struggled to sleep for a while till she felt her train of thought slowly changed tracks. Away from her father and towards the boy sleeping next to her.

The following day school carried out, as usual, no one managed to find Sirius Black anywhere in the castle and agreed to let the students sleep in their own dormitories the night after which Elladora wasn't too upset about.

She felt exhausted as she only had gotten a few hours of sleep in the Great Hall, it had gotten so bad that Elladora had found herself napping on Fred's shoulder during their incredibly boring lesson of Divination which of course Lee and George teased the pair over for the rest of the day. Thanks to the two constantly teasing them about it, rumors spread around the castle quicker than they both had expected. Even Peeves the Poltergeist had found out and he too teased the pair anytime they walked together in between classes.

**___**

Elladora sat with her head in her hand as she listened to the boy's talk, Fred was leaning back in his chair to talk to Lee and George. They rambled on for a while about items the latter had bought from Zonko's joke shop over the weekend, Fred throwing out ideas of what to use the Nose-Biting Teacups. Elladora felt the gaze of Angelina Johnson on her, leaving a pit in her stomach. The twinge of jealousy from Angelina was plastered on her face. Professor Lupin was running a bit late, which was completely understandable considering the time of the month.

Elladora smirked at the phrase, ' _time of the month_ '.

Suddenly, the heavy door in the back of the room swung open and slammed shut. Elladora flinched at the loud noise, beside her Fred joined her in staring at Professor Snape as he walked briskly through the classroom. With a wave of his wand, he closed each window as he passed by. He pulled down a screen at the front of the classroom and whipped around.

"Turn to page 394." He said flatly.

Elladora and Fred looked at each other in confusion before flipping through the pages.

"Where's Professor Lupin?" George asked from behind Elladora.

"That's not really your concern, is it Mr. Weasley? Suffice it to say your professor finds himself incapable of teaching at the present time. I believe I told you to turn to page 394."

He tapped the projector at the back of the classroom and it lit up the screen. 

"What's wrong with him?" Fred asked as Elladora continued to flip the pages of her book.

"Nothing life-threatening," he said, looking as though he wished it was. "As I was saying before I was rudely interrupted, Professor Lupin has not left any record of the topics you have covered so far-"

Elladora's stomach plummeted upon the sight of the word _WEREWOLVES_ printed across the top of her book, there was a collective murmur of confusion.

"But sir, we learned this two years ago, we should be reading about Ghouls and Pixies-" Elladora said before she was cut off.

"Be quiet," Snape said coldly cutting her off, "I did not ask for feedback, I was merely commenting on Professor Luin's lack of organization."

"He's the best Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher we've had," Adrian Pucey spoke up, and there was a murmur of agreement from the rest of the class. Elladora couldn't help but stare at the boy, she'd never heard him speak against Snape in the five years that she'd known him.

"You are easily satisfied. Lupin is hardly over-taxing you- I would expect first years to be able to deal with Ghouls and Pixies. Today we shall discuss-"

Elladora watched him tap the projector again, her eyes scanning the board with terror in her eyes.

"-werewolves," Snape said.

"But sir-" Elladora spoke up, seemingly unable to restrain herself. 

"But Miss Black!" Snape raised his voice just enough to assert his dominance, "I was under the impression that I was teaching the lesson, not you. And I am telling you all to turn to page 394," He glanced around again. "All of you! Now!"

With many bitter sidelong looks and some sullen muttering, the rest of the class opened their books. Snape gave himself a prideful smirk before asking how to disgust a werewolf and a true wolf.

Everyone sat in motionless silence; everyone except Elladora who slowly raised her hand. Snape stood there for a moment, ignoring the girl's raised hand.

"No one?" Snape said, his smile twisted smile crept onto his face. "Are you telling Professor Lupin hasn't gone over the basic distinction between-"

"We told you already sir," Elladora said suddenly, "we haven't gone over them in two years, were still on-"

" _Silence!_ " snarled Snape. "This is the third time you've spoken out of Miss Black, you speak very confidently in defense of someone who you got in trouble just for merely _existing_."

Fred suddenly burst out with, "You ugly git," as George threw a, "How dare you-"

"Detention, Miss Black. Ten points from Gryffindor for disrespect" said Professor Snape. "As an antidote to your ignorance, on my desk, by Monday morning, two rolls of parchment on the werewolf with particular emphasis on recognizing it and killing it."

Elladora cursed him under her breath as she scowled before turning around to face the front of the class. The collective punishment for Elladora's outburst, only earning the girl more berating from other classmates.


	9. red lipstick and regret

* * *

The next couple of weeks dragged by agonizingly slow. A month went by before Elladora was told about the detention she got way back at beginning of November. She was surprised that it had taken so long for it to be arranged, she wasn't quite bothered as much as she should have, it was more than likely she would spend her detention with Remus.

She didn't mind spending time with her godfather, it was more likely that they would have a lengthy discussion about future lesson plans. But instead, their conversation made its way to the reason for her detention.

"You know," said Elladora, sitting down and fiddling with the sleeve of her sweater. "I wouldn't even be in this mess if Snape didn't hate me by association. Have you seen the way he treats Harry or anyone else in Gryffindor! The only reason he tolerates me is that I'm in Slytherin."

Remus looked up from the essay he was marking. "You can't blame us-"

"I'm not blaming you!" said Elladora, a bit more defensive than she originally intended. "I'm blaming Snape for holding a grudge for way too long! I get it when you were teenagers, Uncle James and my dad pulled a prank on him-"

"But, he is helping now."

Elladora raised an eyebrow, "By now I would have expected him to poison you,"

Remus looked exasperated. "You sound like your dad."

There was a moment of silence, Elladora stared at the marshmallows in her hot chocolate. The white blobs of sugar slowly melted, she pulled the mug up to her lips and took a long sip. She wanted to ask him about her father, she wanted to know what he was like.

Elladora exhaled and was about to say something else, but Fred Weasley walked into the classroom.

Elladora stared him down as he strolled past her desk walked right up to the front desk, and he handed Lupin a detention slip. Elladora eyed the way he stood there as if he had planned everything. He ran a hand through his hair before speaking. "McGonagall said you wouldn't mind one more student, she thought it would be better to separate Georgie and I."

Lupin looked up from the detention slip with a warm look, "Very smart on her part, sit in whichever seat you would like Mr. Weasley."

Fred nodded as he turned around, taking the spot across the aisle from Elladora. He took out some parchment and a textbook, he dug around in his bag for a bit before pulling out ink and a slightly bent quill.

They sat there together for about fifteen minutes, Fred had a slight frown on his face as he turned pages back and forth of A History of Magic. Elladora was starting to get very distracted with his constant page-turning. She watched out of the corner of her eye as his eyebrows furrowed, eyes fixed on the text in front of him and his mouth slightly opened.

"Hey, El," he whispered, trying not to be too loud. "Can you help me with the Witch Hunts paper?"

Elladora didn't look up from her book for a moment, she let out a fake sigh before she turned her body to face him. She wasn't that upset that he asked for her help, she just couldn't let him know that. "Listen and take notes because I won't repeat myself. Understood?"

"Yes ma'am. Loud and clear." He said as he readied his quill.

"Witch hysteria took hold in Europe during the mid-1400s, when many accused witches confessed, often under torture, to a variety of wicked behaviors yeah?" He only nodded as he wrote fast, going back for some more ink.

"Within a century or so, witch hunts were really common and most of the accused were executed by burning at the stake or hanging." She paused to give him time to catch up. "Single women, widows, and young girls were especially targeted."

Professor Lupin looked up from grading a poorly organized essay to see his goddaughter explain the witch hunts, a proud smile formed on his lips. All he could think was 'There's some of Marlene in there too.'

"Between the years 1500 and 1660, around 80,000 suspected witches were put to death in Europe. Around 80 percent of them were women thought to be in cahoots with the Devil and filled with lust." She said with a bit of a smirk. She carried on explaining before taking a long sip of her now warm hot chocolate. She continued to explain the whole timeline of witch hunts in Europe, with the occasional questions about the topic from the ginger boy.

Fred was impressed that she knew so much about the subject, he knew her best subject was history after the years of witnessing her get top marks each year. He just didn't know the extent of this knowledge.

Fred looked up from his piece of parchment. Elladora had been staring at him, it was her slightly scary stare that he became all too familiar with. He stared into the eyes he had seen all school year, they had changed the smallest bit.

Something was different. Over time she had grown fond of him, his constant attempts to involve her and open her up had worked. Maybe a bit too well. She couldn't tell what it was cause they are just kids but she felt like he might just be the best thing to happen to her in a while.

But her faint happiness came crashing down when a loud noise came from the back of the classroom, Angelina Johnson walked into the classroom.

Fred's gazed was pulled away from Elladora, he was mesmerized by her. She was beautiful with her red sweater and lipstick that complimented her skin tone so much. Her detention also seemed planned, it looked like she dressed up for it. Elladora felt a hole in her stomach form as Angelina shot him a glance before walking over to Professor Lupin's desk, the older man spoke as he put down the essay he was grading and took the detention slip she was holding.

"Ah Miss Johnson, detention too? You may sit where ever you would like."

Angelina nodded as she turned around, taking the spot next to Fred. She sat right next to him, leaving very little room in between.

Elladora sat there reading her book, her fingers tracing the pages of Dracula as she struggled to focus on the words she was reading. She couldn't help but overhear Angelina giggling over something Fred said, he must've been like that with every girl.

20 minutes went by before Remus checked his watch, he cursed under his breath as he put down an unruly essay he was grading.

"Elladora, Mr. Weasley, and Miss Johnson," said Remus. "I told Harry I'd help him with Dementors." He stood up from his desk. "You three can stay here till your time is up - I will take Harry to the History of Magic classroom and teach him - something a bit more advance. I'm sure you three are responsible enough to be alone and not cause any trouble."

Elladora spoke as she narrowed her eyes, "Is this because I said that you added too many marshmallows in your hot chocolate?"

Remus grabbed the case on his desk and gave her a small smile as he started walking to the door, "Just a bit."

The man left the room, leaving the three teenagers alone.

Elladora suddenly felt very self-conscious. She wondered if he was looking at her, what if Fred Weasley was still looking at her. She made a face at her odd thoughts and shook them off.

She looked at her mug, it was cold. She was hesitant to get up and take care of the mug, but it was the incessant giggling from Angelina that forced Elladora out of her seat. Although Elladora prided herself on her skill of ignoring people around her whilst she read but she couldn't ignore the two next to her. She hastily walked up the stairs, eager to get away from the two.

The heavy door closed with a thud behind her. Elladora's mind ran rampant as she rinsed out her mug. Was Fred just messing with her? Was he like this with every girl? Why did it matter to her?

It hit her like a train as she placed the mug down, she remembered the way he awkwardly grabbed her hand, so desperate to reassure her. The way he tried so hard to involve her in his life but all she did was push away from him.

He cared for her.

She stood there for a long while. She'd never had someone properly care for her. She regretted joining him for ice cream before school, she just wanted him to talk to him but that simple 'Sure.' really fucked her up.

Elladora let out a heavy sigh as she opened the heavy door only for her heart to plummet through the ground beneath her.

She watched with her mouth slightly open as Fred and Angelina's lips moved out of sync. She kissed him with a sort of hunger, running her hand through his hair. But he seemed a bit taken aback.

The wooden door closed behind Elladora with a loud thud as she shouted in her head 'WHAT THE FUCK!FUCK, FUCK, FUCK.', she repeated other curse words in her head as she rushed down the stairs and to her desk. Elladora couldn't think straight as she kept her eyes trained on her desk, avoiding any uncomfortable glances.

Fred pulled away from Angelina a bit too quickly when he heard the door close. Instant regret and red lipstick on his face. The harmless snogging that had started a couple of months ago between classes and late at night finally had its consequence. The one girl he didn't want to see him as she did, he cursed himself for letting Angelina get the better of him.

Elladora picked up her bag hastily and apologized for intruding. Leaving Angelina bitter and Fred overwhelmed with regret.


	10. the shrieking shack

* * *

Elladora sat in an old wooden chair with her legs hanging over the armrest. Her face was void of emotion as she read through the last chapter of an old play about star-crossed lovers. She couldn't help but think of Fred. They hadn't properly had a conversation in months, both slightly avoiding each other for different yet similar reasons.

She closed the book with a heavy sigh as the sun started to set, she looked over to her godfather who was midway through marking one of the exams.

She stood up to look at the large cases in his office, the teenager found herself in front of a tank with a Grindylow. She watched as the pale green water demon swam in the weed bed, she watched for a couple of minutes until the Gindylow became hostile. She took a step away before she could aggravate the little creature anymore.

Elladora found her eyes wandering to the large piece of parchment, her gaze focusing on the names on the map. _ELLADORA BLACK II_ and _REMUS LUPIN_ , in the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor's office. She studied the map more to see Headmaster Dumbledore in his office, pacing. She searched for a specific name for a couple of minutes, she gave herself a slightly disappointed face when she found it. Fred's name in the Gryffindor's boy dormitory, probably fast asleep after the long day of exams.

She went to ask her godfather what this map was but something caught her eye, her mouth went dry as she stood up. She read the names _HARRY POTTER, HERMIONE GRANGER, RON WEASLEY, PETER PETTIGREW,_ and perhaps the one name Elladora wanted to see her entire life, _SIRIUS BLACK III_.

She couldn't quite believe what she was seeing. She picked up the map, she read it over and over again. Two names she'd never thought she would see, especially not nearby Whomping Willow.

"Remus..." Elladora said, still staring at the map in her hands.

"Yes, dear?" He responded, not looking up from the exam he was marking.

Elladora didn't respond as she watched the dot representing her dad knocked into Harry's. Then, Sirius's dot ran towards Ron and Peter, dragging both towards the Whomping Willow, and off the map.

"Is this accurate?"

"What?" He responded, now standing up.

"The map. The map with everyone's names on it? It has my father's and- Peter Pettigrew's. Is it accurate?" She turned to look at her godfather, her tone was impatient. "I thought he was dead."

"The map doesn't lie."

**___**

Once Elladora reached the Whomping Willow she let out a grateful sigh when the older man called out a spell that caused the branches to instantly freeze. They were both already kinda out of breath, reflective of how unathletic both of them truly are, from running through the castle as quietly as they could manage.

Remus helped Elladora slide into the opening, the young girl returned the favor when it came to his turn. She pulled out her wand and whispered "Lumos."

Elladora didn't bother to look around as she started walking quickly down the tunnel, the poorly placed wood creaked as Remus and Elladora slightly ran down the long hall. After about a minute of quickly-paced walking, they found themselves at the bottom of a staircase. 

The older man stopped Elladora before she could go up. He didn't want her to get hurt, the teenager silently disagreed for a moment until Remus gave her a sad look. She unwillingly let him go first.

They followed paw prints and footprints that were left in the thick dust. Remus followed them stealthily up the steps, careful not to let any of the old stairs creak. Elladora mimicked where he stepped, understanding his method. They finally reached the top and followed the trail of missing dust to a pair of opened doors.

Slight yelling came from the room as they approached.

"Then it'll be you!" They heard the all too familiar voice of Harry Potter shout.

Remus turned to make sure Elladora's wand was out and at the ready, she quietly whispered under her breath for the light at the end of her wand to disappear.

Then an oddly familiar voice spoke, "Are you going to kill me, Harry?"

Elladora's breath hitched as they got closer to the doorway, twelve years of her life had led up to this. She wasn't going to trip at the finish line.

Remus burst through the open door frame, and yelled, "Experlliarmus!"

Elladora ran in behind him and was quick to point her wand at the three third-years in the back. Remus motioned for Harry to get off of Sirius, the teenage boy stumbled to stand up and made his way over to Hermione and Ron.

Elladora finally looked down at where her father laid on the ground. There he was, Sirius Black, her father. He wore a dirty prison suit that was ripped around the seams. His hair was dirty and unkempt, grey hairs grew away from his face. His skin was deadly pale causing his stormy eyes to have deep bags. He looked like a corpse, so thin that she could see his cheekbones and his sunken cheeks. Her eyes got watery as she stared at the man in front of her, he looked like a stranger. But he wasn't.

Elladora lowered her wand and reached out to her dad with her free hand, a unusual smile crossed her face. Time slowed as he grabbed her hand, she helped him up with tears in her eyes. She pulled her father into the tightest embrace she had ever given.

Sirius was taken aback by the affection, he definitely wasn't expecting to be greeted this way but his mouth formed a large smile showing his yellow teeth as he gripped his fifteen-year-old daughter close to his chest. 

"I missed you." was all Elladora could muster, her voice quivering as tears spilled down her cheeks.

"I missed you too, my little stardust," Sirius told her, he cradled her head in his hand as she buried her head into his shoulder.

The two pulled away rather reluctantly when Remus put a hand on Sirius's shoulder. Before the two hugged each other tightly, Elladora made sure to keep her wand pointed at the three younger students after she wiped the tears off her face. She didn't want them to ruin a good moment.

"I found him!" Sirius said happily as he pulled away from the hug.

"I know," Remus said, reassuring his friend.

"It's him!"

Remus glanced at Elladora, who nodded back at him, "I understand."

"Let's kill him!" the rugged man snapped as he pulled away from his old friend.

Elladora could only think of Peter, the whole reason why father was in Azkaban. But when she glanced around the room, she only saw the two men and then the three teenagers, not including her. 

"No!" exclaimed Hermione, pulling Elladora out of her sentinel-like state. "I trusted you! And all this time, you've been his friend."

Elladora knew damn well her godfather had no time in between being a professor, spending time with her, and remaining locked in his office as a sleepy dog to help her father.

Hermione took a few steps in front of Harry, and she spoke as she frantically looked from their professor then to her friends, "He's a werewolf, that's why he's been missing classes!"

Elladora and Sirius froze.

For a brief moment, Remus looked directly at Sirius, as if the two were trying to figure out the ordeal. He then glanced at Elladora, she silently encouraged him. Remus took a step closer to the group of teenagers as he asked "How long have you known?"

"Since Professor Snape's essay..."

"He'll be delighted," Remus said, with a bittersweet look on his face. "He assigned that essay hoping someone would realize what my symptoms meant... did you check the lunar chart and realize that I was always ill at the full moon? Or did you realize that the Boggart changed into the full moon when it saw me?"

"Both," Hermione said with a slightly worried expression.

As Remus forced a laugh, Elladora mumbled, "Remus."

Remus ignored his goddaughter, "You really are the brightest witch of your age."

"I'm not," said Hermione, sounding fearful as her eyes darted towards Elladora. She felt her stomach sink a bit. They were scared of them. Maybe they should've been scared of Sirius and Elladora, but not Remus. Remus wouldn't hurt a fly if there was a way to keep it alive, but Elladora would have just killed the fly to save the small creature the pain and struggle. Hermione carried on, "If I'd been a bit cleverer, I'd have told everyone what you are!"

"But they already know," said Remus. "At least, the staff do."

"Dumbledore hired you when he knew you were a werewolf," gasped Ron, "Is he mad?"

"Some of the staff thought so," said Remus. "He had to work very hard to convince certain teachers that I'm trustworthy-"

"Enough talk, Remus! Come on, let's kill him!" Sirius shouted from behind Elladora and Remus.

"Wait!" ordered Remus.

"I did my waiting!" His voice shaking as he yelled at his best friend. "Twelve years of it! In Azkaban! I missed my own daughter growing up! I missed twelve years of my life because _he_ was a coward!"

Remus let out an exhausted sigh before he looked back at the group of scared teenagers for a moment. "Very well, kill him." He handed over his wand to Sirius. "But wait for one more minute. They have the right to know why."

"I know why," said Harry, he took a step closer. "You betrayed my parents. You're the reason they're dead!'

Elladora was quick to defend her father, she lowered her wand "No, it wasn't him. Someone did betray your parents but, it was someone who, until quite recently, I believed to be dead."

"Who was it, then?" Harry demanded.

"Peter Pettigrew!" Sirius yelled rather dramatically. "And he's in this room! Right now! Come out, come out, Peter! Come out and play!"

Suddenly another person ran into the room, "Experlliarmus!" Snape yelled as he pointed his wand at Elladora, her wand flew out of her hand. She went to go at the man until he pointed his wand at Sirius. He disarmed him too as he pointed his wand at her father.

Elladora froze in place, it was the sight of her dad being threatened that kept her still. The idea of losing him again was a fear no Dementor or Boggart could recreate because it was so deeply embedded into her that it only surfaced at this moment. She was getting really sick of all these emotions coming to light recently.

"Vengeance is sweet. How I hoped I'd be the one to catch you."

Remus stepped forward. "Severus-"

Snape quickly pointed his wand at the shabbily dressed man. "I told Dumbledore you were helping a friend into the castle. Here's the proof."

"Brilliant, Snape, once again, you've put your keen mind to the task and, as usual, come to the wrong conclusion. If you'll excuse us, Remus, Ella, and I have some unfinished business to attend to."

Snape poked his wand at the unkempt man's neck, Elladora found herself digging her fingernails into her palm. She wanted to bend down and pick up a wand and fight him but she knew someone would pay for her actions.

"Two more for Azkaban then?" said Snape. Sirius looked to his daughter to see her eyes wide, he shook his head urgently. He was desperate to reassure his daughter, he would have to do so much to make up for the lost time. Snape carried on in his unruly tone, "I shall be interested to see how Dumbledore takes this..."

"Severus, don't be a fool," Remus said rather calmly.

"He can't help it, it's a habit." Sirius nipped.

"Sirius, be quiet!"

"Quiet yourself, Remus!"

"You two, quarreling like an old married couple," Snape said, antagonizing the pair of old friends.

"Severus, Is a schoolboy grudge worth putting an innocent man back in Azkaban?"

There was a loud bang. Elladora flinched as cords slid out from Snape's wand and coiled around Remus. Elladora was too slow to catch him, he fell to the ground with a crash. Elladora was quick to grab her wand that was just a couple feet away from her. She quickly got to her feet, she pointed her wand at him.

She went to cast a spell, but Snape already had his wand pointed deep in Sirius's neck.

"Give me a reason," whispered Snape. "Give me a reason to do it, and I swear I will child."

The word 'child' was Elladora's tipping point, "Are you really that pathetic that you can't take a joke? Does this mean I should worry about something Fred and George have or eventually will do? Are the three of us going to have to watch our backs for a greasy pathetic knob head wanting us dead for something we did as children? Do you honestly have the mental age of fifteen-year-old still?"

Snape stared at her, slightly surprised at her outburst. Perhaps she had more of her father in her than he originally thought.

Her grip on her wand only tightened as she heard Hermione speak up behind her, "Professor Snape- It wouldn't hurt to hear what they've got to say, w-would it?"

"Miss Granger, you are already facing suspension from this school," he said coldly. "You, Potter, and Weasley are out of bounds, in the company of a convicted murderer and a werewolf. For once in your life, hold your tongue." He looked back to Elladora. "And you, Black, will be lucky if you're just expelled, and not throw you into Azkaban. Then maybe you can spend some nice quality time with your dear old dad."

Elladora stayed quiet, she watched Snape's grip on his wand. He wanted her to fight back, he wanted her to give him a reason to hurt Sirius. She lowered her wand a bit, she wasn't going to play this petty game the way he wanted her to. They played a silent game of war, Elladora was winning until Hermoine spoke up again, "But sir we were-"

"Keep quiet, stupid girl!" shouted Snape. Elladora didn't flinch. She didn't know about the other teenagers in the room, but she was used to hearing Snape shout like this. It was usually after a big loss of house points or a quidditch match, he was one for age-old intimidation- Snape was just a bully, she didn't need to feel on edge around a knob head like him.

He turned to face Sirius and dug his wand further into his neck "I could do it, you know. But why deny the Dementors? They're so longing to see you."

Sirius lacked any color on his facial features. Elladora felt her calm demeanor slip away, her face got hot as his eyes darted towards her. She bitterly anguished her current inability to do anything. 

"Do I detect a flicker of fear? Oh, yes. A Dementor's kiss. One can only imagine what that must be like to endure."

Snape stepped towards Sirius, the raggedy man nervously took a step backward. "It's said to be unbearable to witness but I'll do my best."

There was a beat of silence.

"Come on, all of you," said Snape. As he clicked his fingers together, the cords tied around Remus floated upwards. Snape held onto the ends, he glowered at Elladora, "I'll drag the werewolf-"

Elladora narrowed her eyes, "If you lay one finger on him, I'll kill you myself."

Slightly amused with this proposition, Snape continued, "Perhaps the Dementors will have a kiss for you too-"

"Expelliarmus!"

Snape went flying back and through the bedpost on the other side of the room. 


End file.
